A Japanese Olympian already won gold for 'Pokémon Go' addiction in Brazil
Kohei Uchimura is a 27-year-old man who's already won an Olympic gold medal and four silver medals in gymnastics. He's also, it turns out, a hardcore Pokémon Go fiend.
Uchimura reportedly downloaded the game after arriving in Brazil, only to see things spiral out of control quickly.
Uchimura downloaded Pokémon Go after arriving in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to train before the Rio Games, according to the Japanese outlet Kyodo News. He instantly became hooked.
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It was all fun and games and Pikachus and Charizards until Uchimura's next phone bill arrived. Included: $5,000 in data overages from playing the game so much.
Kyodo News captured the mood.
"500,000 yen..." sighed the defending six-time world champion.
Added teammate Kenzo Shirai, "He looked dead at the team meal that day."
Uchimura was reportedly able to get out of the massive charge after explaining that he thought he was on a flat rate international plan. He now pays $30 per day.
And with his Pokémon Go scare settled, Uchimura can get back to business -- winning gold in Rio.
Catch him in action Aug. 6.
[H/T: Deadspin]
Sam Laird is Mashable's Senior Sports Reporter. He covers the wide, weird world of sports from all angles -- as well as occasional other topics -- from Mashable's San Francisco bureau. Before joining Mashable in November 2011, his freelance work appeared in publications including the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Slam, and East Bay Express. Sam is a graduate of UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, and basketball and burritos take up most of his spare time. Follow him on Twitter @samcmlaird.
